Only answer is to buy: Al

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Alan Shearer surveyed the wreckage of Newcastle United's strike force from his World Cup headquarters in Berlin today and insisted the only answer is the transfer market.

Shearer is working closely with manager Glenn Roeder by phone to earmark United's targets.

"There's no question we're terribly thin now with my retirement, the long-term injury to Michael Owen, and the departure of Michael Chopra," he told me in an exclusive interview.

"There's only Shola Ameobi left and that means Newcastle will need to be active in the transfer market.

"I'm devastated for Michael, for Newcastle, and for England. It's a terrible injury which I wouldn't wish on anybody - but he'll be back.

"I'm seeing an awful lot of games out here and I'm speaking to Glenn on a regular basis over names of players who could do a job for Newcastle. As things stand there is a need to buy as soon as possible once the World Cup is over."

Shearer has urged his close pal Owen to take hope from his own recovery when he suffered a similar cruciate ligament injury.

And he scornfully dismissed rumours that Owen's career could be over at the age of 26 or at least severely affected with him being robbed of a crucial half-yard of pace.

"Yes, the injury is a long one but Michael will recover all right," insisted Alan. "To say his career is threatened or he'll lose his pace is just scaremongering.

"Michael need look no further than myself. I suffered a similar injury in 1993 when medical help wasn't so advanced as it is now and I played on for another 13 years. It took me seven months to get back, but I made it and so will he.

"He'll be in the very best of hands, will have his operation, and then begin the long recovery. I've spoken to him a couple of times and of course he's down, but he's strong mentally and that will stand him in good stead."

Shearer admits he feared the worst the moment he saw Owen's leg buckle in the very first minute of the 2-2 draw with Sweden.

"I knew instinctively it was a bad one the way his leg went and the way the knee was wrenched," admitted England's former skipper.

"It was such an innocuous situation - no one was near him - but they can be the worst. I was all by myself when I shattered my ankle and everything else at Everton. It was the worst injury of my career and this will be Michael's worst."

Shearer, of course, is in Germany as a pundit for BBC TV and he'll be working at England's game against Ecuador in Stuttgart tomorrow.

"England have to improve, there's no question about that," admitted Alan, who has shrugged off reports that he may be involved in the England coaching set-up under Steve McClaren.

"There's certainly room for improvement - they have a long way to go. We've seen the brilliance of Argentina and Brazil produced glimpses of their usual form in beating Japan. So we're at the stage of the World Cup where it's getting tough.

"England can get better - but they cannot afford injury to another striker. That's the biggest worry."